What are people's thoughts on more custom marinised brands like Nissan, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, etc over the more marine specific Yanmar etc.

Also, at how many engine hours should you start considering a repower?

Marine diesel motors are generally marinised industrial diesels from bobcats, forklifts, tractors or front end loaders. These motors are designed for long hours at reasonably consistent revs. Using a car diesel motor, as your question tends to suggest, is less popular, in part because you're starting with a second hand block & head which was also designed for different power usage. Age wears (corrodes) a motor as much as does use. Properly used and well maintained small marine diesels can do 5000hrs. Younger but poorly maintained motors may be near their end by 3000hrs. Anode replacement, water pump maintenance and raw water or heat transfer cooling can also influence longetivity.

A fisherman here in Bundy had a marinised 4 cyl Kubota as his auxiliary (i.e. running power and refrigeration) that was always running except for oil and filter changes. It had 28 thousand hours on it when he unessarily pulled it out and put a new one in. Like a taxi, never got cold.
I saw it in the Kubota workshop pulled down to delip and hone the bores, recon the head and put new rings bearings and gaskets in it and sold to a farmer to power an irrigation pump.

If a marinised Kubota or Yanmar in a yacht is regularly used and serviced, I see no reason why it would not last for 10,000 hours or more.

Thanks Bushdog. So, in short, steer clear of buying a boat with a marinised car engine?

Thanks Cisco

Select to expand quote

Woohoo said..
Thanks Bushdog. So, in short, steer clear of buying a boat with a marinised car engine?

Given that they're usually few and far between, and have likely been marinised as a one-off, I'd be extra wary.

Vetus used to use Peugeot but have now switched to Mitsibishi. The VW Golf diesel was very popular. The Nissan 2.2 diesel was very popular as well with commercial operators. Then there is Perkins who have various engines that somewhere are operating in taxis. Plenty of Mercedes engines in boats that are the same as in taxis. I've seen marinised Isuzu engines.

One advantage of using car or truck motors is parts are more readily available/there are more dealers.
Nanni use Toyota as their base for some motors and Kubota for others.

Thanks Ramona and Madmouse.

Diecon (Brisbane manufacturer )made heat exchanger units and Marinised mainly Nissan engines one I have is a ed33 unit that was used in Cabstar light truck & the civilian bus also found in fork lifts & other industrial applications. The way i see it is an engine is a power plant, if you gear and prop it to suit your hull and take advantage of the engines power curve then your in business, I've been on ski boats with 350 chevys and 427 dodge motors & Detroit & Gardner were the go to power plants for earth movers, trawlers, buses & trucks for a long time. So I guess if you find a vessel with a vehicle engine in and it drives well, why not ?

Thanks Woko.
And once again, everyone's comments. Much appreciated and food for thought.

I repowered a Hamilton jet boat with a Holden ecotec v6, used to have a 350 chev, similar specs on paper except the ecotec was alot lighter, performance was the same but with far better fuel economy.

If we are talking motor boats l just saw a Facebook post featuring a turbo 'barra' motor in a race boat.

Select to expand quote

Madmouse said..
If we are talking motor boats l just saw a Facebook post featuring a turbo 'barra' motor in a race boat.

No, definitely for a sailboat only.

Any thoughts on Thornycroft engines?

Select to expand quote

Woohoo said..
Any thoughts on Thornycroft engines?

British company that marinised a range of engines.

Select to expand quote

Ramona said..

Woohoo said..
Any thoughts on Thornycroft engines?

British company that marinised a range of engines.

Good, bad, indifferent?

Select to expand quote

Woohoo said..

Ramona said..

Good, bad, indifferent?

The only one I had any experience with was in a small commercial fishing vessel and it ran smooth as a sewing machine!

Wohoo, can you give a bit of info re what horsepower units you are thinking of? I think Thornycroft did a lot of Ford engines, also Lees was another doing Ford. The larger Fords are getting hard for some bits.

Select to expand quote

ArthurBrain said..
Wohoo, can you give a bit of info re what horsepower units you are thinking of? I think Thornycroft did a lot of Ford engines, also Lees was another doing Ford. The larger Fords are getting hard for some bits.

There's an Adams 40 with a 40 HP that I may be interested in if I can get my partner on board.
yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-monohulls/adams-40cc-in-cairns/284628

Select to expand quote

Woohoo said..

ArthurBrain said..
Wohoo, can you give a bit of info re what horsepower units you are thinking of? I think Thornycroft did a lot of Ford engines, also Lees was another doing Ford. The larger Fords are getting hard for some bits.

There's an Adams 40 with a 40 HP that I may be interested in if I can get my partner on board.
yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-monohulls/adams-40cc-in-cairns/284628

Most likely a BMC 1.5. Do a search on this forum.

forums.ybw.com/index.php?forums/practical-boat-owners-reader-to-reader.13/

Find out the actual year and model. Then do some research into that motor. Then get a better idea and if you can get spare parts easily.
And just ask in the beginning. Don't ask a general question about marinised diesel engines.

Select to expand quote

tarquin1 said..
Find out the actual year and model. Then do some research into that motor. Then get a better idea and if you can get spare parts easily.
And just ask in the beginning. Don't ask a general question about marinised diesel engines.

Er, it was a progression of the conversation Tarquin. In the beginning, that's all I was asking.
Thanks so much for clarifying what one can ask on this forum. Much appreciated.

Select to expand quote

Ramona said..

Woohoo said..

ArthurBrain said..
Wohoo, can you give a bit of info re what horsepower units you are thinking of? I think Thornycroft did a lot of Ford engines, also Lees was another doing Ford. The larger Fords are getting hard for some bits.

There's an Adams 40 with a 40 HP that I may be interested in if I can get my partner on board.
yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-monohulls/adams-40cc-in-cairns/284628

Most likely a BMC 1.5. Do a search on this forum.

forums.ybw.com/index.php?forums/practical-boat-owners-reader-to-reader.13/

Thanks Ramona. I'll do a search on ybw

Select to expand quote

Woohoo said..

tarquin1 said..
Find out the actual year and model. Then do some research into that motor. Then get a better idea and if you can get spare parts easily.
And just ask in the beginning. Don't ask a general question about marinised diesel engines.

Er, it was a progression of the conversation Tarquin. In the beginning, that's all I was asking.
Thanks so much for clarifying what one can ask on this forum. Much appreciated.

Sorry that sounded harsh when I read it again but wasn't meant too.
Thornycroft have been around for a long time.
You really need to know the year and model of the engine. The newer ones are marinised Kubotas.

Select to expand quote

tarquin1 said..

Woohoo said..

tarquin1 said..
Find out the actual year and model. Then do some research into that motor. Then get a better idea and if you can get spare parts easily.
And just ask in the beginning. Don't ask a general question about marinised diesel engines.

Er, it was a progression of the conversation Tarquin. In the beginning, that's all I was asking.
Thanks so much for clarifying what one can ask on this forum. Much appreciated.

Sorry that sounded harsh when I read it again but wasn't meant too.
Thornycroft have been around for a long time.
You really need to know the year and model of the engine. The newer ones are marinised Kubotas.

No prob Tarquin.
Trying to get on to the owner to establish model and year.